Change
by RC927
Summary: Sapphirre Rogers is one of the few special people to come down with the 'super cancer' that has evolved over the years, and only one thing will save her. A change of body, and mind. Rated T lame title I know :V
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys :D thanks a bunch for visiting my story. This is technically my first story and I intend to complete it eventually xD so enjoy the first chappy~ I know it's kinda short but wii w; enjoy~**

**I don't own pokemon in any way, shape or form :U I only own Sapphire.**

"Mother..?" I called softly as my mother brushed some dark hair from her face with an exasperated look in her eyes as the man in the lab coat walked in with his clipboard and slick black hair.

"Shh Sapphire." My mother hushed and pushed some light brown hair from my neck and I blinked at her.

We both looked at the doctor as he cleared his throat almost rudely.

"The test results for your daughter.. have come back as positive for the disease.. I recommend that you leave her here so we can treat her." He spoke with no emotion.

My mother went silent and held me close as I glared at the man coldly. I was seventeen almost eighteen, and supposedly had a disease that slowly drained my energy and killed me from the inside. It was scary almost, but they had some sort of cure, and I was determined to live as long as I could. I looked up at my mother, who had shed a few silent tears by now and smiled at her softly.

"Mom.. Let me do this. I'll be alright for one night alone. Besides, who will look after Kat?" I reasoned.

Kat was my three-year-old sister and my older brother was at home keeping an eye on her. My father was long dead by now, having died in a civil war around our town ten years ago.

My mom sighed softly and nodded, brushing some hair from my flushed face. "Alright Sapphire. Be brave for me, okay?" With that, she kissed my forehead softly and stood before the doctor led her out and a nurse led me to my room to wait until they were ready for the treatment of my sickness.

A tall man in a lab coat and ruffled brown hair came in about an hour later. He was young, about his early 20's and I caught myself staring at him as he took a blood sample from me without uttering a single word. He was mysterious, that was for sure.

I watched as he ran my blood through a machine, the metal beast giving a series of flashes and beeps as my DNA information was being revealed and I blinked as the man gave a satisfied huff before printing the information and walking out with it, leaving me alone again for another hour or so in my thoughts.

I laid back on the hospital bed, some of my light brown hair brushed over my face as I sighed softly. I wondered what the cure was that they had in mind. Would it be painful? Would it make me lose my hair, like the leukemia treatment for cancer? Would it do any harm to me in the future? I wouldn't know. I was in the dark and I hated every moment of it.

I pursed my lips into a thin line and put one hand over my stomach and a bored sigh escaped my lips. I hoped this would be over soon and I could be reunited with my family again and things would be normal... or... semi-normal at least.

I glanced over to the window as my thoughts shifted to my family and friends outside the hospital walls. Were they worried about me? Well, my mom was at least, that much I knew. I thought about my boyfriend, Wayne, was he worried? Did he even know of my disease? Did he care?

I'm sure he was somewhat worried about me... At least I hoped so... After we suspected me of having this sickness, he seemed to become rather distant. Trailing off in his thoughts as I hung out with him.

I looked up when a couple people walked in and I recognized the man with the black hair from earlier as I sat up. He held a clipboard in his hands and a woman with blonde hair stood behind him with her hands behind her back as she stared at me.

"So this is the girl that needs the cure?" She asked the man.

"Yes. This is Sapphire Lynn Rogers, our patient." He replied.

"Hey, can you please quit talking to me as if I'm not here?" I asked, annoyed at them.

"Of course Miss Rogers." The woman said and I found myself not liking her one bit as the man motioned for me to stand and follow them.

I got up slowly and took my time stretching before following them down seemingly endless hallways until we reached a small room with a bed and a table. I sat on the bed and the man turned to me with a smile that would make any right-minded person on edge.

"Tell me, Miss Rogers, what is your favorite Pokemon?" He asked me slowly.

Well that was obvious. I had always been fascinated by the lucario line. Riolu was cute and Lucario was a Pokemon of legend after I heard the tale of Sir Aaron. I had always wanted a Riolu as a kid and even now, but my parents never liked the idea of an aura using Pokemon. Dunno why, but I never was able to get a riolu.

"Lucario." I answered curtly.

"A fine choice," he spoke as he took a small vile from the table and shaking it a bit while taking a close look at the purple liquid inside it, "Your cure will have to be obtained through a special surgery miss Rogers."

I blinked. "What kind of surgery?"

"A rare kind." Was all he said before we both fell quiet for a few minutes.

A few minutes that was painfully long, I admit. Until after those few minutes, another man came in, talked to the woman in hushed whispers, and left with her. Leaving me alone with the strange man as I squirmed in my spot on the bed as he smiled at his clipboard as he tapped it with a pen.

"So," I started slowly as I kicked my legs a bit, "Can you let me in on some details, so I know what will be going on?" I yawned softly.

"My apologies, but no. This surgery has only been performed a few times. It is top secret." He responded bluntly.

"..oh.. okay." I frowned slightly as the awkward silence fell upon us again.

After a while, the woman from before came in, her hair in a bun now and blue gloves on her hands as she walked up to me, the man taking a place by her side.

"Alright miss Rogers, we will have to give you some medicine to help with the surgery." She tapped the mans arm and he took my right arm in his large hand, the syringe with the purple liquid in the other hand.

I gasped as the needle was inserted into my wrist and instantly I felt weak as I fell sideways onto the bed, my vision swimming and I felt a bit sick to my stomach. The last thing I saw was the woman standing in front of me, her arms crossed and a smile plastered onto her face...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Oh my gosh, sorry for the super long wait you guys D': I almost forgot about this story here!**_

_**Anyway, it's kinda short because I wrote it on a whim and to just get an update out here so that nobody would think that the story is dead xD I hope you enjoy**_

**_(I've also started on chapter 3 kinda w Let us see how this turns out eh?)_**

…

"Miss Rogers..? Are you awake?"

nn..wha..?

I opened my eyes to the faces of a few eager doctors all standing around me, I blinked groggily and winced at the harsh light that hung above me in the white room.

"She's awake! Go get the doctor! Quickly!" One of the nurses cried urgently.

I opened my mouth to speak.

"W..where am I? What happened?"

None of them looked my way but one woman with short red hair and wide silver eyes and she walked to me as the oldest woman shooed the others away.

"The surgery was a success," she spoke in a soft tone to me "You are cured.. but at a price"

I did not heed her eerie warning as I looked to a mirror, but it was angled to where I could not see my face. What surgery did they do to me? I tried standing and wobbled on shaky legs as I pointed to the mirror and the woman helped me to it.

What I saw would have scarred me for life.

I wasn't human anymore. I was a lucario, a shiny one in fact. I looked closely at my ruby eyes that had once been a vibrant green that my father had been so proud of. My fur was mostly yellow and my markings were dark blue, my torso was almost a dusky sky blue. Surprisingly I still had some attributes to my humanity. I still had some brown hair, but it was silky now, just like my new fur and for some reason it was shorter, not even past my shoulders!

"You...He.. He turned me into a lucario?! How?!" I cried.

"The surgery," the woman stated "Do you know now why they asked you what your favorite Pokemon was?"

Of course.

"Well sure, but.. what now?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't know.. I will try to go find out if you want-"

"No!" I shouted "The last thing I want is to be left alone!" I waved my arms as my emotions ran off the charts in my mind. Different possibilities ran through my brain in flashes, some were memories, and the others were unexplainable, and before I knew it, my mind was wondering through the hospital, blue waves fell off of every person in the area and I knew what I was looking for: The Doctor.

There! His energy was significantly strong and he was in the most obvious place: In his office. I saw the aura of one of the nurses walk into his room. After hearing the news, I noticed his energy signature flurry in the colors of fury and excitement all at once.

It was then when I realized something was wrong. I almost flinched when his voice echoed in my head.

"I want you to euthanize her. Then bring her in for study."

No... I was their little test rat! No!

I gasped as my eyes shot open to the red-haired lady standing over me worriedly and I pushed her away and wildly made a break for the window. I felt the glass shatter under the force of my shoulder and I was almost shocked at the feeling of falling. Without thinking, I landed on my feet and headed for the forest about a mile away.

After a moment of running, my keen ears picked up on the sound of the doors opening and shouting from the building. I took a second to look back and was barely able to dodge the bulled that whizzed over my head, and in my maneuver, I managed to trip over my own feet and fall, landing face first into the mud.

It took me a second to recover and I cursed, knowing that they were out to kill me now. I got up and tried to shake some mud from my face but gave up quickly and just ran using my aura vision to guide me. I was almost to the forest!

Suddenly, blinding pain seared into my leg and I felt the needle of a dart embed itself into the back of my thigh. I yelped as the poison in it made my body go limp and I fell meekly to the ground, just outside the edge of the forest. I heard one of the men call out his Tyranitar and I could barely sense the thundering footsteps it took as the beast ran for me quicker than the men themselves.

It was almost upon me as my vision stared to slowly black around the edges. I moved my head away and beared my fangs as I readied myself for pain or death.

Neither of them came.

Looking up, my vision now a thick black ring around the edges, I saw the Tyranitar come into impact with a blue sphere that showered me with dust and threw the beast a great distance back with a cry of agony. I groggily moved my head to the source of the attack and saw two dark gray legs running to me.

Then I blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi guys! So sorry for being like.. dead on this story! D: I keep reminding myself to write in it, but I always forget. Silly me. ;w; Anyways, I'm writing this on a whim just to get something out there, so if I make any mistakes, then I'm sorry. I'll try to proof-read it as well as I can! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! _

_Much love~_

I didn't know how long I was out. Just that I wasn't under attack anymore and it was cold.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the top of a cave. I was laying under its shelter and it was raining apparently. My fur felt damp and uncomfortable, so I must have been out in it for some time before coming here... Speaking of which, how _did_ I get here?

Looking around a bit, I stood and stretched the stiffness away from my limbs. Ah, now I remember, the scientists had been after me, they shot me with a tranquilizer, but.. how did I get here? I sniffed the air and my ears shot up to another presence. Footsteps, and the smell of wet fur. Almost like our pet stoutland when he came out of the bath, or from playing in the rain.

My fur stood up in alert. It might be a pokemon sent out to find me and take me back, but, I didn't know how to fight in this body! So, I looked around and found a rock big enough to hide me from the presence. The footsteps stopped, and I heard a light "humph" and then the footsteps got closer...

"Ah, there you are."

I yelped and looked up to see another lucario. He was large for a lucario too! Most would have been around four feet. This guy must have been at least five-feet-seven-inches! Though, he looked kind enough... His fur was soaking wet and he held an armful of different berries as he studied me.

"...Who are you..?" I squeaked. Dammit I was so timid and brittle sounding!

"Name's Ryan. I saved you from those humans." He blinked and shrugged a bit before finding a spot to set the berries down, "You've been out for several hours. Might have had something to do with that thing they shot into your leg. Luckily I happened to have seen the entire thing and got you out of there before they could get you."

Man he sounded kinda full of himself.

"Uh... thanks," I muttered, "M-My name is Sapphire."

"Pretty unique name for a lucario. I can see why your parents named you that though. It's really rare to see an odd-colored one like yourself." He was referring to my blue colored parts of my fur.

"Yeah..."

"...So why were you out there in the first place? Are you the kind that likes to go human-watching?" He turned to look at me as I slowly inched out from behind my rock.

"Uh...no... I... My mother took me there. They said they could help me, but I found out what they were planning and tried to run." I don't trust this guy enough to give him the full story.

"You mother did that?" He seemed genuinely shocked. "That's like killing your own kids. Wild lucario never go near humans unless they are banished."

I found his mistake. "Banished? From where?" And he sensed my curiosity... Damn.

"In this area, the wild lucario all live in a clan. It's been like that for centuries." He scratched at his neck a bit. "Don't you live in a clan?"

"Well I uh.. no.. it was just me, my parents, my sister and my brother."

"Your parents had three kids? Damn your family is all kinds of messed up." He took an obnoxiously loud bite of an oran berry, and anger boiled inside me.

"My family was a wonderful one! My parents loved both me and my older brother and my sister! There's nothing wrong with them!" I shouted, ready to hit this guy.

He looked at me and snorted arrogantly. "Whatever you say Princess, but if they love you so much, then why take you to the humans, knowing for a fact that they'd try to take you for their own purposes? No mother or father would do that to their child. Even if you _were_ an accident."

"Accident?! I was no _accident_! And I was sick. My mother didn't know what they would do... she doesn't know I ran away... They'll probably tell her that I died during the surgery to keep her from looking for me." I was sitting on the ground nearby him now, my heart broken. I knew I'd never be able to see them again. My mom, dad, or my siblings.

" ...Right... Here," He handed me a few oran berries. "eat up, you'll need the energy. Then I can help you find your family again."

I took them and blinked up at him. He'll find out one way or another that my family is human. "No.. they won't recognize me..."

"Why not? I'm pretty sure I'd recognize-"

"My parents are human."

He stopped and stared at me, and I refused to look him in the eye now as I studied an oran berry. I could sense the confusion and shock emitting from him and suddenly, he laughed. Full out laughter as he tossed his head back.

"You're joking with me! Right? Humans? Don't make me laugh! It's impossible for a human to have a riolu!" He hooted.

"The surgery switched bodies... My human body was weak and sick with disease. It sapped at my energy every day, so they put me into this body, but they were going to kill me to run tests for their experiments. That's why I ran, and that's why I can't go back to my family again." He stopped laughing at the seriousness in my voice that was accompanied by pain and loss. He was totally silent as I began to weep.

"...You're totally serious, aren't you?" His voice was soft now, regretful that he laughed at me.

I sniffed. "Y-Yes..."

"...So... you were a human, turned into a lucario. So now you're all alone with no idea how to use your aura, or fight for that matter?" He sounded shocked now, sympathetic even.

I nodded. I was alone, and I couldn't defend myself. I was now a wild pokemon, without a single idea of what to do.

"...You can come to my clan then. I'm sure they'll welcome you since you are a lucario. Somebody could mentor you."

He was being generous. I looked up at him and he was staring at me with sad eyes. He was a kind guy after all, just a bit rude sometimes I guessed. I wiped my eyes and nodded, muttering a thank you before biting into my food, my thoughts all trained on the possibilities of how my life would be now. Ryan was my first friend in this world, and the only one who knew my secret.

"Ryan...?"

"Yes?" He looked at me, his cheeks puffed slightly from his food, I almost laughed.

"Can you keep this a secret? If the others know..." I trailed off as he nodded. It was self explanatory.

"Yes, I do believe I can do that."

I nodded in thanks and we remained silent until I drifted off to sleep again, resting against the wall of the cave while the rain fell steadily outside.

_Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to update more often now! ;w; I love you all for being so patient._


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay another chapter so soon! :D **

"Alright, so before we get to the clan camp. You may want to learn to defend yourself first. There might be someone who wants to test your skill before you're permitted to join."

I blinked up at Ryan, who was walking ahead of me on a thin path in the trees. The rain had stopped earlier in the morning and already the sun was warming everything up. We had been walking for what seemed to be an hour so far. I flicked my tail.

"So..?"

"Well, unless you'd much rather learn from a magikarp, I'll be your teacher for the time being. I'm a top warrior in my clan, and I can at least teach you the basics." He looked at me from over his shoulder for a response.

"Well I uh.. Alright then. I don't know that much about fighting though, and I'm a little clumsy..." I blushed a bit in irritation at my weaknesses.

He laughed. "You'll get through it well enough. Believe it or not, I was the runt of my generation, look at me now! I could be the clan leader and more!"

Leader eh? I snorted and folded my arms as I walked. More like clan clown... However, it was hard to imagine him as a runt.

"So what are the others like then?" He was taller than the average lucario that I've seen with trainers. I shivered to think of what the others might be like if Ryan was the runt.

"Pretty average," That was a relief, "I just went through an odd growth spurt is all."

"So you went from runt to masculine warrior? Where have I heard that before?" I said sarcastically. Many fairy-tales had heroes like that. It was rather annoying and unoriginal.

"Watch the mouth there 'fire," I hated the nickname already, "Our clan is built on respect, and the warriors are the most respected because of their duty to protect and fight for the clan leader." Blah blah.

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't born in your little clan, remember? Your rules don't really apply yet." I grinned when he looked at me with a shocked expression, but he quickly hid it and went stoic.

"You'd do good to refrain from any sass Sapphire. Lest your mouth gets you into trouble." I could hear the frown in his voice and I sighed.

"Anyway, what's the clan like? I'm curious."

"It's hidden so that humans cannot find us easily. However we are a good three days away if we walk at this pace, but that is good because I want some time to train you to fight in case someone challenges you. My home though is nice, we have fresh water and plentiful food. Winters can be harsh though. We're a clan of about 25 lucario and 12 riolu. It's not as bit as it used to be, but we still get by. The new generations are trained to battle when they evolve and become fully fledged warriors, healers, or gatherers."

"Okay, so lets see.. Warriors do the fighting, healers heal wounds, and gatherers gather things like food and supplies, right?"

"That's right. Healers however help with the birth of newborn riolu in the clan. Other than that, you're spot on." He didn't seem too shocked at my knowledge of this, but I didn't blame him, it was kinda obvious.

"By the way, what's with the fur on your head?" I blinked at him as she gave me an odd look.

"Uh, it was the hair I had as a human, I guess the surgery gave me the hair too? I might cut it if it gets in the way."

"Yeah, no offence, but it looks really odd on you. You'd instantly be judged if you came to the clan looking like that. If you want, I could help you cut it later tonight once we find a place to camp out and rest."

"Thanks I guess." I shrugged and kept following him for a moment, however rather suddenly, he stopped and whirled around, aiming a kick at my head, which I just barely dodged and rolled out of the way. "What the hell-ah!"

I fell back as he shoved me by the shoulders and pinned me down, I growled and kicked him away frantically before standing up. He growled, smirking as he tackled me and we went rolling. The sudden adrenaline burst allowed me to feel less pain as I kicked and punched at him. This was training, I realized, he was getting me used to surprise attacks.

I grunted as he smashed me against a tree and I moved my head to avoid a punch that bloodied his fist due to the sharp pieces of the bark on the tree. His paw was around my neck and it squeezed enough to hurt, but not enough to suffocate me. I grabbed his arm and dug my claws into it and tried pushing him back with my foot. He let go of me and I ducked and rolled to the side as he tried to punch me again. He growled in irritation and tackled me as I stopped on my knees, my back to him. I face-planted the ground and grunted as he pinned me to the ground and he put his face close to my ear.

"Trust no one. You never know who will attack you, or when. Best be ready or it will ensure your death." He whispered.

Despite the situation, I blushed and he let me up. I stood and dusted myself off as he took a couple steps back to give me some room.

"That wasn't fair." I muttered.

"People don't fight fair. Your enemies will not wait for you to get ready before attacking. They will take you on at your point of vulnerability, and they will not hold back like I did." He patted my shoulder and walked on, I followed him for a while until we reached a small stream. The water was clear and clean and it sparkled when the sun hit it just right. Ryan stopped and sat in the shade of a tree and sighed contently.

"We'll stay here for the night. I need some time to collect food and I'm sure you could rest after the thrashing I gave you." He grinned as I folded my arms and snorted.

"At least the water is fresh and clean." I commented as I sat nearby.

"Yes, and that means the berries here will be fresh and crisp. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, I'll be back." I watched as he stood and headed off to find some food for us. While he was gone, I took the time to wash my face and I looked at myself in the water. My hair _did_ look strange on me, however I didn't trust myself to cut it on my own. I would wait for Ryan to return. He could use his wrist spike to cut it better than I.

So I waited, and he didn't return until sunset. My ear flicked to his direction as he shuffled through some bushes with an armful of berries, a wide smile on his face. He was certainly happy at his find.

"Hey princess. Ready to eat?" He called.

"Sure, could you help me with my hair first? I wanna get it cut before dark comes." I was on my knees at the little stream staring at my reflection.

"Uh, sure I guess." He set the berries down on a bed of leaves and walked to me. "Just... cut it with my spike then?"

"No I want you to use your eyeballs. Yes your spikes!" I rolled my eyes as he snorted and I felt him gather my hair. I closed my eyes and felt a pressure as he sliced off my hair and it fell to the ground. I opened my eyes and blinked a bit. I looked just like a normal lucario now, my hair was gone and I doubted it would grow back anytime soon.

"There, that looks better. Right?" Ryan sounded a little unsure.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, it looks fine. Thanks." I sat back and reached for a berry before I crunched down onto it. Ryan was right, they were crisp and juicy. I smiled in delight as I quickly ate it and took another.

"Slow down Princess, leave some for me!" Ryan cried as he took a few for himself, glaring playfully at me.

I chuckled and shrugged. "They're good." He nodded in agreement and crunched down on one noisily. I scowled and continued eating mine. When it became dark, Ryan started a small fire to give us some light and warmth and soon I fell into a light sleep, unaware that for a while, he watched me until he, too gave in to sleep as well.

**What is it with me and ending chapters when they fall asleep? Oh well, that'll end soon hopefully. Reviews are welcomed and flames will be used to make smores! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welp, I haven't updated in a while~ Hope this makes up for it!**

The next couple of days were pretty warm for my tastes. I missed being human now, the heat here was far worse with fur, even with how short it is. We stopped for water and shade in the afternoon, then after lunch, we left out for the final stretch of ground to the clan camp. The pathway was getting better at least due to the trees providing shade from the sunlight. I walked behind Ryan for the time. We sparred every so often, all of the times they were surprise attacks I might add, but I was progressing by always keeping an eye on him while we traveled.

"The camp is hidden inside a mountain, and there's only two entrances that are at the bottom of the mountain range." Ryan explained as he looked back at me.

"Okay then." I shrugged and he scoffed. He expected me to be curious about it.

Inwardly, I smirked. My snarky and sarcastic personality was definitely getting to him. He would roll his eyes in annoyance at my remarks and jokes. I personally enjoyed his annoyance. I found it funny.

"So, tell me about your leader." I demanded.

"What's there to say? He's as good as any leader could be. He's kind, strong, stubborn, caring..." Ryan trailed off.

"Hard headed?"

Ryan laughed. "A little, yeah. Somewhat arrogant too. He was just recently claimed leader of our clan about a year ago. I think he misses being a warrior."

I made a little noise of acknowledgement and looked around at the plants and trees that surrounded the path.

"So, what class do you think they'll put me in if I'm accepted?" I asked curiously.

"...Probably gatherer until they can figure out how well you are at fighting..." I made a groan of disapproval "Unless you'd be willing to help deliver newborn riolu."

I grimaced. "No thanks."

He chuckled at my response and flicked his tail. "You know, your fighting skills aren't that bad though. They might make you a warrior if you can prove yourself to them that you are worthy. Although you will have to keep your sarcasm at bay around the superiors."

I snorted. "Don't they know the difference between seriousness and sarcasm?"

"Yes, but it's disrespectful to them. So unless you want your tongue cut out, I suggest you keep a respectful tone." Ryan glanced back at me and laughed at my horrified face.

"Do they really cut the tongues out?!" I cried.

"I've never really heard of cases like that, but they use it as leverage to keep the children in line." I sighed in relief. "Although they can always use you as an example to the younglings."

"That's not funny Ryan." I snorted as he chuckled.

"I hope you aren't made into a warrior 'Fire. I would miss your snarky comments too much if they did."

"Aw I'm touched." I said in mock flattery. He laughed and shook his head as we walked on.

The forest became thicker and at times, we had to walk waist deep in shrubbery and cut our way through thick vines and plants that were in our way. It was much cooler now in the shade and I enjoyed it as much as I could. We took a little break to spar a bit and eat before we moved on. It was almost sunset when Ryan stopped, ears up in alert.

"What's the hold up Ryan?" I asked, somewhat tense.

"Quiet, there's a patrol coming our way. Don't say anything to upset them, do you understand?" I shrank back a bit at harshness in his voice and nodded silently.

Some bushes rustled and a group of three pokemon emerged from the plants. An Umbreon, a Houndoom and a Bisharp. The Bisharp seemed to be the leader of the small patrol, and they were instantly on their guards when they spotted Ryan and I standing on the path.

"What are you doing here?" The Bisharp demanded, approaching us menacingly.

Ryan flicked his tail. "Just passing through. We were just looking to see how the humans have expanded and we're tired from our journey. We mean no harm." He explained.

I kept my mouth shut as I glanced at Ryan. He seemed really calm, even though he was outnumbered. My mind went back to the school days where we learned about pokemon. I remembered that dark types were weak to fighting types. We had the advantage if they were to attack.

"And why were you so interested in the humans so suddenly?" The Umbreon asked suspiciously, her ears twitching.

"One of our gatherers went missing a few weeks ago." Ryan pointed to me. "I was sent to get her back and make sure the humans were keeping their distance. Now, if you'll excuse us." He bowed respectfully to them and I followed his motions before we began walking off.

"I've never heard of a discolored lucario among your kind Ryan." The houndoom growled. "I've never seen her out gathering supplies. Everyone knows you get your meat in the river that borders our clan. How come we've never seen her out there?"

Ryan stopped in his tracks, stumped in ideas. I turned to the houndoom, my tail flicking in irritation.

"Maybe I was just recently appointed as a gatherer! That much shouldn't matter to you anyway, he was on a rescue mission, nothing more and we are just trying to get home. So I suggest you leave us be." I added a bit of attitude as I spoke, just to show that I don't like being pushed around.

"She's got a mouth on her." The umbreon growled a bit, her hackles rising in irritation.

"She's just a child Raia. Let us move on now, they mean no harm and we will be punished if we instigate a fight with them that we know we will lose. Just leave them be." The Bisharp retorted curtly and walked off, the umbreon and houndoom following quietly.

Ryan stayed quiet as we continued on, he slowly began to relax again and after a while, I spoke.

"So...Were they part of a rival clan or something?" I asked.

"Yeah. Some clans see each other as enemies, some neutral, and a couple see us as allies. Every clan is territorial though, tensions become high if a clan decides that it wants more land. Both fighting sides often lose several warriors in the fighting over borders. It's pointless really..." He snorted, obviously not wanting to talk still.

"Oh... okay." I shut my mouth and let my mind wander for the next few hours before he stopped again in a clearing, although this time he was much more relaxed.

"This is the beginning of our clan border. Another hour of walking and we'll be at the mountain entrance." He announced.

"Can't wait. You sure they'll accept me into the clan?" I asked, suddenly losing my confidence.

"It's entirely up to the leader of the clan 'fire." Ryan said eerily, "If a warrior decides to challenge you, then you must accept. However, whether you win or lose, it is entirely up to the leader if you stay or go."

"And what if they don't want me there?" I asked.

He hesitated, as if that question was something he feared.

"...I don't know... I would guess that you would either be killed, or exiled." He finally answered.

"Well I don't like the sound of either of those..."

Ryan looked back at me sympathetically. "...If things go sour, I'll try to help you, but ultimately, my actions are determined by the laws of our clan... If a warrior, or the leader thinks I'm out of line, then I could suffer the same fate as you."

I looked up at him and blinked as he looked back ahead to the path. He was willing to help me, yes, but at what cost? I looked to the ground, frowning as my thoughts ran wild. He loved his clan, that much was obvious... I guess he saw me as a friend though, and wanted to help me. He was pretty much torn...

"...We're here." I looked up as Ryan's voice broke me from my thoughts and I was welcomed to the sight of a large cavern that led into the mountain.

"Woah..."

"This is where the real adventure begins." Ryan flicked his tail as he led me inside...


End file.
